New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing - in the minute or so between my calling America stupid and the end of the Cialis commercial, CNN was flooded with furious emails and the twits hit the fan. And you could tell that these people were really mad because they wrote entirely in CAPITAL LETTERS!!! It's how they get the blood circulating when the Cialis wears off. Worst of all, Bill O'Reilly refuted my contention that this is a stupid country by calling me a pinhead, which A) proves my point, and B) is really funny coming from a doody-face like him.

Now, the hate mail all seemed to have a running theme: that I may live in a stupid country, but they lived in the greatest country on earth, and that perhaps I should move to another country, like Somalia. Well, the joke's on them because I happen to have a summer home in Somalia... and no I can't show you an original copy of my birth certificate because Woody Harrelson spilled bong water on it.

And before I go about demonstrating how, sadly, easy it is to prove the dumbness dragging down our country, let me just say that ignorance has life and death consequences. On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now so they can go home and "listen to their constituents." An urge they should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told his Congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare," which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways.

I'm the bad guy for saying it's a stupid country, yet polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds of Americans don't know what's in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don't know what the Food and Drug Administration does. Some of this stuff you should be able to pick up simply by being alive. You know, like the way the Slumdog kid knew about cricket.

Not here. Nearly half of Americans don't know that states have two senators and more than half can't name their congressman. And among Republican governors, only 30% got their wife's name right on the first try.

Sarah Palin says she would never apologize for America. Even though a Gallup poll says 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth. No, they're not stupid. They're interplanetary mavericks. A third of Republicans believe Obama is not a citizen, and a third of Democrats believe that George Bush had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, which is an absurd sentence because it contains the words "Bush" and "knowledge."

People b!tch and moan about taxes and spending, but they have no idea what their government spends money on. The average voter thinks foreign aid consumes 24% of our federal budget. It's actually less than 1%. And don't even ask about cabinet members: seven in ten think Napolitano is a kind of three-flavored ice cream. And last election, a full one-third of voters forgot why they were in the booth, handed out their pants, and asked, "Do you have these in a relaxed-fit?"

And I haven't even brought up America's religious beliefs. But here's one fun fact you can take away: did you know only about half of Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than Christianity? That's right, half of America looks at books called the Old Testament and the New Testament and cannot figure out which one came first.

And these are the idiots we want to weigh in on the minutia of health care policy? Please, this country is like a college chick after two Long Island Iced Teas: we can be talked into anything, like wars, and we can be talked out of anything, like health care. We should forget town halls, and replace them with study halls. There's a lot of populist anger directed towards Washington, but you know who concerned citizens should be most angry at? Their fellow citizens. "Inside the beltway" thinking may be wrong, but at least it's thinking, which is more than you can say for what's going on outside the beltway.

And if you want to call me an elitist for this, I say thank you. Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about. That means Obama budget director Peter Orszag, not Sarah Palin.

Which is the way our founding fathers wanted it. James Madison wrote that "pure democracy" doesn't work because "there is nothing to check... an obnoxious individual." Then, in the margins, he doodled a picture of Joe the Plumber.

Until we admit there are things we don't know, we can't even start asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that America can make a mistake, we can't stop the next one. A smart guy named Chesterton once said: "My country, right or wrong is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying... It is like saying 'My mother, drunk or sober.'" To which most Americans would respond: "Are you calling my mother a drunk?"

Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," and will be joined on the show tonight by Arianna Huffington. "Real Time" airs fridays on HBO at 10:00PM Eastern Time.

I do agree with his statement on America's stupidity. I hate Bill Maher but I'm a social studies teacher and the knowledge some of my transfer Senior students bring into the classroom is dismal.

Sadly Bill Maher also contradicts himself with his closing since there was division between elitists and non elitists, between those who wanted more power to the people and those who didn't, among our founding fathers.

Spurnation

08-08-09 08:09 AM

Radicalism...no matter which side of the pendulum is still radicalism.

Bill Maher is a radical who often contradicts himself from one broadcast to the next. I used to like him for his wit...but have come to realize he offers no solutions and exsists solely to critisize. (You know...the nosy neighbor that questions everones actions as if they were paying the bills) He's the same as Linbaugh only way to the left.

AS far as this country becoming less intelligent. Well...I have come to the conclusion the plan has always been to keep people misinformed and apathetic. That way the ones in charge have less competition. It's not that people are stupid more so than they find ways to survive according to their environment. Keep people struggling to just make ends meet and they have little to no time for anything else.

Of course...I really do feel sorry for those who can't afford a life style that extends beyond their means...:violin

Scrub1

08-08-09 12:44 PM

Historically I've always past over remarks such as those by Bill Maher.
As I approach my Mid 50's I've found myself more and more drawn to comment.

I have a real problem with the statement "Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about." I’m not sure B.M. and his group of elitist “knows" what they are talking about. However, I beleive this elite group knows what THEY want and have no clue what you, I, or the majority of Americans want.

In my youth I was inclined, as neither most, to not listen to my parent’s advice nor many others but my buddies. As the saying goes "Too soon old, too late smart." I would encourage all to listen to others , study up, ask questions, and decide for you what is right . I believe it is a lifelong mistake to let others “decide” for you.

Most of us all know deep inside what is right, but choose not to listen. Strive to acquire not only knowledge but more importantly wisdom. It’s a long and difficult journey and I hope one day to achieve.

Bryhn

08-12-09 01:58 PM

Quote:

Historically I've always past over remarks such as those by Bill Maher.
As I approach my Mid 50's I've found myself more and more drawn to comment.

I have a real problem with the statement "Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about." I’m not sure B.M. and his group of elitist “knows" what they are talking about. However, I beleive this elite group knows what THEY want and have no clue what you, I, or the majority of Americans want.

In my youth I was inclined, as neither most, to not listen to my parent’s advice nor many others but my buddies. As the saying goes "Too soon old, too late smart." I would encourage all to listen to others , study up, ask questions, and decide for you what is right . I believe it is a lifelong mistake to let others “decide” for you.

Most of us all know deep inside what is right, but choose not to listen. Strive to acquire not only knowledge but more importantly wisdom. It’s a long and difficult journey and I hope one day to achieve.

This is by far the best post I have ever read on spursreport. This is something that should be read by everyone.